The White House announced it needs more time to impose fresh sanctions against Iran over its missile program, which Iran insists is rightful and aimed at enhancing the country’s defense and deterrence capabilities.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the administration had additional diplomatic and technical work to complete before announcing any new sanctions related to the missile program, but the delay was not a result of pressure from Tehran, Reuters reported.

“We have additional work that needs to be done before we would announce additional designations, but this is not something that we would negotiate with the Iranian government,” Rhodes told reporters on Saturday in Hawaii, where US President Barack Obama is on vacation.

Meanwhile, implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was on track after Iran shipped its stockpile of low enriched uranium out of the country, though it still had many other important things to complete, Rhodes said.

“I would expect the Iranians to complete the work necessary to move forward with implementation in the coming weeks,” Rhodes said. “We are on track to see the implementation of the Iran deal move forward.”

According to reports on Wednesday, the US Treasury Department would impose sanctions against individuals in Iran, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates following Iran’s missile testing in October and November.

On Friday, the White House announced it has delayed the fresh sanctions against Tehran.

The announcement came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday ordered the Defense Ministry to continue production of missiles needed by the country’s Armed Forces “more quickly and seriously”.

In a letter to Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, President Rouhani denounced the US government’s “hostile policies and illegal interference in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s right to boost its defense power,” and instructed the Defense Ministry to “continue the plans to manufacture various types of missiles needed by the Armed Forces more quickly and seriously.”

Elsewhere in the letter, President Rouhani warned that if the US repeats such “wrong and interventionist” moves, the Iranian Defense Ministry must develop a “new plan” for expanding the country’s missile capabilities.

The Iranian chief executive further stressed that the Islamic Republic has never let the issue of its defense power, including its missile program, be mooted in the nuclear negotiations with the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Iran has repeatedly announced that test of missiles is an issue relating to defense of its territorial integrity and has nothing to do with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) on July 14 reached a conclusion on a 159-page nuclear agreement that would terminate all sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear energy program after coming into force.

Afterwards, the 15-memebr United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that endorsed the JCPOA.

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